Todd Strange, the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, the city in which rapper Doe B was recently murdered, has ordered the closure of the venue at which the crime occurred.
Doe B, a Ridgecrest-based emcee affiliated with Hustle Gang, was the victim of a fatal gunshot wound early yesterday morning (December 28). Besides the 22-year old Hustle Gang emcee, a 21-year old female victim was also found dead. Per a report from WSFA.com, the female victim was pronounced dead on the scene while Doe B passed away as a result of the gunshot wound after being taken to the hospital. The Ridgecrest emcee wore an eyepatch reportedly stemming from a previous gunshot wound. The same WSFA report added that beyond the two murders, six other bystanders suffered nonfatal gunshot wounds as well.
As a result of the crime, which the article cites as the 47th and 48th homicides of the year for Alabama’s state capital, the city’s mayor, Todd Strange, issued a statement with the announcement that the venue was closed as a function of a city order. Strange’s statement explains the decision to close the Centennial Hill Bar and Grill as a function of this most recent crime as well as “repeated cautions.” “We do not take this action lightly, but believe this decision is compelled by clear evidence that continued operation of this establishment poses an imminent threat to the public’s safety,” he wrote. “Just this morning a 21-year-old young woman and a 22-year-old young man were shot and killed there, and six other young adults were shot and wounded. The shootings occurred despite the presence of the club’s security and repeated cautions from the City.”
He continued that the closing represented a preventative measure against further public safety concerns. “I believe it is not a matter of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ the next tragic incident occurs at this business,” the statement says. “That is unacceptable, and that is why we have ordered the business to be closed effective immediately.”
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Police have thus far not found the individual or group responsible for the murders and further injuries. Nonetheless, the mayor’s statement also included an assurance that an investigation was underway. “The Montgomery Police Department’s investigation into this senseless shooting is proceeding, and we have every confidence that the individual or individuals responsible will be identified and apprehended,” he said. “We are working to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Doe B’s manager, DJ Frank White, issued a statement to HipHopDX yesterday with the acknowledgement that “the world has lost a great person and a genius artist way to soon.” “Doe B was an amazing young man, in every sense of the word,” a statement from The Blueprint Group also said. “A truly talented artist, a loving father and a dedicated member of the Hip Hop community at large, he touched the lives of the many people who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Related: Doe B’s Management Releases Statement Regarding Rapper’s Passing
